The Spirit of 
Democracy 



BY 

MERAB EBERLE. 




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THE SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY 

An Allegorical Pageant 



By MERAB EBERLE 



Copyright, 1917, Eldridge Entertainment House 



PUBLISHED BY 

Eldridge Entertainment House, 

FRANKLJN, OHIO - DENVER. COLO. 



The Spirit of Democracy. 

CHARACTERS. 

Autocracy— Old, stern-faced man clothed in kingly- 
robes, crown on head, sceptre in hand. 

Spirit of Democracy— Clinging garments of white 
and silver, unbound hair held back from face by a 
silver circlet. Should have beauty of form and face. 

America — Dressed as are the current representa- 
tions of Columbia, white flowing garments and draped 
flag; wears liberty cap made of field of American flag. 

England— Woman dressed in white flowing gar- 
ments, decorated with many small Great Britian flags. 
Carries a sword. 

France— Small, vivacious, draperies of white, belted 
in at waist line; a loose chiffon-like cape thrown back 
from snoulders; wears liberty cap of scarlet and car- 
ries the banner of France. 

Russia— Large, brawny man dressed in Russian 
peasant costume and bearing spiked club. 

Italy— Dapper man in Italian dress. Carries flag 
of Italy in left hand that the right may be free to 
unsheathe the dagger which he wears at the belt. 

Belgium ) May be impersonated by children. Gar- 
Servia > ments should be tattered. The national 
Poland ) e m b 1 e m may distinguish each of 
them, or they could carry banners bearing their re- 
spective names. 

Prophet— In hermit's garb. 

Messengers— Wear military costumes, preferably 
German in style. 

Pages- Court costume. TMP96-007257 

Aerial Voice,— This character not visibly ShouJ^ 
be possessed of clear, sweet voice. »Jf V^ .^ 

©CI.D 481^8 

OCT 27 1917 



STAGE DIRECTIONS. 

The stage setting need not be elaborate. In the 
rear center Autocracy's throne is placed. Have this 
rest on a dais, the steps to the throne being richly 
carpeted. Pages sit on either side of throne. 

The success of the pageant depends upon the dig- 
nity with which it is carried out. Court manners 
should be used by the messengers who bring tidings 
to Autocracy. 

Music can be used effectively, especially the na- 
tional airs of the different nations played by orches- 
tra, or if the latter is not procurable, by piano. 

The pageant may be given either in or out of 
doors. If at night, tableau lights will lend much to 
the scene. 

PROLOGUE BY PROPHET. 

At last the hour looms near when Justice fair 
And her twin sister Right shall come to every hearth. 
At last the time has come when old Autocracy, 
The hoary headed monarch of all days that were. 
Shall leave his world-old throne and sweet Democ- 
racy 
Will reign in utter charity o'er every 
Man within the thick-sown centers of the earth. 
Hark! a sound. It boomed upon my ear 
With a dull rumble! The Crown Prince Ferdinand 
Of all the Austrias is dead in Servian lands. 

(Pause) 
Little the peaceful nations know and little dream 
That from this death shall grow a conflict such 
As the old earth with all its store of terrors 
Never has seen before. But peace at length 
Will come and with that peace, Democracy. 

(Curtain Rises,) 

(Autocracy discovered seated on his throne. ) 

Autocracy: 
Ah, would they dare to thwart me and my will 
These little people in this little land! 



My armies with their strength and power must I 
Now hurl against them. Sword shall they feel 
And drop before the cannon's heated breath 
Owning me lord, naming me all victorious. 

(Enter F irst Messenger.) 
First Mess: 
Most loving lord, most kingly of all masters, 
Something I must relate you. 

Autocracy: 
Quickly speak. 

First Mess: 
The Russias are aflame and sweep upon 
Your Teutons from the East and pour on Austrian soil, 
Seeking to quell the conquering Hapsberg's might 
And snatch away his prize, the Servian lands. 

Autocracy: 
Now will I play my Kaiser 'gainst my Czar; 
For Russia frets within, and in her lands 
Many have ceased to praise my austere majesty. 

(Enter Second Messenger) 

Second Mess: 
And France in anger dire has taken up 
The sword, that Serbs might still untrammeled be. 

Autocracy: 
And so my armies shall beat down upon her; 
Take her fair fields of grain, her mines filled up 
With mineral wealth; shall leap to fair Paris 
And make that far-famed city yield to my rule. 

(Enter Third Messenger, ) 
Third Mess: 
Serbia, Belgium, Poland are fast upon their way 
To ask your pity. They are just beyond 
The great and all-forbidding portals now. 

(Serbia, Poland and Belgium enter, they fling 
themselves prostrate before the throne. Blue tableau 
lights. ) 



Serbia, (On knees with hands outstretched beseech- 
ingly towards Autocracy. ) 

Oh king, oh gracious lord, I only ask 

To rule myself. The Austrian yoke is heavy. 

Belgium : 
Thy armies crush out my life! Vast hordes of terror! 
In mercy and in kindliness drive them 
I pray you back. But no! your eye as cruel 
And merciless as were a god of wrath (Here she 
starts up assuming a defiant air. ) 
Smite me they may, but never smite me dead. 

Poland: 
Weary, oh weary of this unending strife 
Autocracy I beg again of thee 
For life. My people die, they starve in fields 
A month ago hung heavy with their grain. 
Now pillage stalks unchecked across my lands 
With evil famine laughing in her train. 

Autocracy: 
Begone the whole of you. I have no while 
To listen to the rabble^s cry. To him 
Who brings me gifts of might do I bend down 
My ear. To him stretch out the favoring sceptre. 
Begone you whimpering, frettish crew. 

(Exeunt Belgium, Poland and Serbia swiftly. Enter 
France. ) 

France: 
Hold! 
I too have listened, I have also heard. 
And in the name of her who gave me birth 
Into another life of passing richness 
And such great beauty as is yet undreamed 
By them who know the rule of kings, Fll bring 
That hoary head of yours swift to its lasting grave. 
(Exit.) 

Autocracy: 
A bold damsel and I rather like her face 
Soon will she be within my power, her lands 
Again be mine. 



{Triumphant music heard, colored lights flood the 
scene. Spirit of Democracy enters. ) 

Autocracy: {Suddenly becoming aware of her pres- 
ence cries out:) 

And who is that, the tall one with a face of light? 

Spirit 0/ Democracy: 
It is Democracy! Well may you tremble on your 

throne 
And well may the sceptre quiver in your hand. 
My armies swift beat back the avalanches 
Of the vast foe, your myrmidons. 

Autocracy {Excitedly and querulously as befits an 
old man.) 

Drive back my minions never. Why I wield 
In my behalf all cruelties man can dream of. 

Democracy: 
Or devils forge within the furnaces of hell. 
{Looking ojf stage and calling) 
England I've need of thee and Italy 
Come swiftly here. 

{England and Italy enter, ) 
Together: 
Why did you call us here? In rose gardens 
We were wandering 'long smoothly flowing streams 
And peaceful seas. 

Democracy: 
To throw Autocracy form off his ill-gained throne. 

England: 
Methinks the fellow has a kingly face. 

Democracy: 
But swift upon his mandates follows ill. 
Evil crowns all his deeds with bitter strife. 

England: 
And should there be no more the rule of kings 
Where would their wondrous glory pass and all 
Their splendid pageantry of pomp and power, 



Bright jeweled courts and flashing diadems 
And ladies radiant in haughty lovliness? 

Italy: 
Oh, we have dreamed of those sweet halycon days 
When all the jeweled splendor reigns 
And all the soft airs of Arabic tales 
Would meet to make our nature such a king 
That all the world would pause to give him praise. 

Democracy: 
In the new burst of glory and of light, 
In which freedom's ne'er setting sun shall flood the 

earth, 
Will such a time of perfect beauty come? 
So fair the earth will wax beneath the warmth 
Of its pervading and exultant rays 
That every man shall feel himself a king. 
And such a wealth of happiness shall find 
Its way to our old earth as never came 
To those who were the slaves of emperor 
And toiled that he might sit in splendor rare 
Through all the length of his most royal days. 

Italy and England: 
We love the pomp of kings and not their power. 

Democracy: 
You bow before a shadow king. You have 
No ruler, and your law is all the people's voice. 

England (flourishing sword. ) 
ril go to France to fight for people's rule. 

Italy (Drawing dagger.) 
I'll storm the Alps to fight for people's rights. 
(Exeunt) 

Aerial Voice: 
Russia has thrown the Romanoff, the proud 
And haughty Romanoff down from his kmgly throne. 

Autocracy: (Shrinking hack with hands pressed 
over ears, ) 
the spirits of the air are speaking. Bid them cease. 



(Enter Russia, staggering as from a long sleep.) 

Russia: 
I know not where to go. Lead me, for I 
Am almost blind. The world totters and the earth 
Touches the wrathful sky. They close upon me. 

Democracy: 
If he had ought to aid him in direction 
Of this, his new found state, well would it be 
With me, and well with all the world. 

(Red lights flare. Orchestra plays Star Spangled 
Banner. America enters. ) 

America: 
Little I dreamed that when that bomb first burst 
In Servian lands that thou wert calling me, 
Spirit that bred me first, gave me my strength 
And pride, else were I earlier here to aid. 

(Sees Russia and advances toward him. ) 

Poor Russia, blinded by a too long sleep 
Come take thy sister's arm. Yea, I will lead 
Thee up and on. Let my cool hands but press 
Against thy aching eyes. 

Russia: (In elation) 
I seel I see! 

(All enter with exception of messengers. ) 

France: 
America has come and Russia wakes. 

Italy: 
'Tis won, 'tis won. The victory's ours at last. 

France: 
See old Autocracy, mark how he shrinks 
And pales, grow nnumb and falls from off his throne. 
Out with him, drag the rascal forth. 

(Autocracy fits his action to the words: Following 
last line several rush forth at France* s bidding.) 



England: 
Be gentle 
His was a certain pride and dignity. 
And much of history's spoken in his praise. 

America: 
But he is dead and with him much of wrong. 

(Autocracy is draggeg out. ) 
So pass the worthless beauty of the olden days 
And court and king and velvet tapestry 
Magnificence of throne, sceptre and glittering crown. 

Russia, (tnrning toivard Spirit of Democracy) 
Hail Spirit of Freedom, round whose head 
Shall shine exultant all the stars of night, 
And all the suns and moons of countless worlds. 
To thee the hoary mountains will give homage 
And the innumerable waves of the unending seas. 
Rise thou in unutterable glory and let 
The peoples of all nations name thee queen. 

(During the exhortation the Spirit of Democracy 
mounts to the top step of the throne. ) 

America: 
So let us crown her with a diadem 
That flashes from our nations' happy hearts. 
So let us pledge to her our fealty 
And bear her banner and her glorious reign 
To the dim forests where savages now lurk, 
And near the icy poles where yellow men 
Stalk the white bear and spear the soft eyed seal. 
Small was I once, a tiny, starvling child 
Who strangled 'neath the hands of foreign kings. 
Democracy then found me. Caught me up. 
Gave me the gifts of light and precious hfe; 
Gave me of freedom and I waxed so great 
That now my coffers hold a countless wealth, 
My fields lie golden with a weight of grain 
And all my orchards hang heavy with fruit. 
Yea, would I fight for her, though all my men 
Laid dead in stenchful trenches thickly strewn. 
Yea, would I fight if all my wealth had fled 



Through roar of musketry and cannon's crash. 
Onward I'll go forever in her name! 

All {crying exultantly) 
Hail to our long sought and most gracious queen. 

(Democracy stretches out her hands in benediction. 
The nations kneel in supplisLnce. The music is very 
soft and sweet. Colored lights play over the scene and 
the curtain falls. ) 



A HIT ON YOUR NEXT PROGRAM! 

Something Out of The Ordinary 
In High-Glass Humorous Songs. 



MUSICAL SKETCHES FOR YOUNG UDIES 

By Harry C. Eldridge 

These fill an urgent need in supplying 
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program, for girls or ladies of any age. Clever 
words and singable music combined to make 
novel numbers for your entertainment. 
' THE HAT OF OTHER DAYS. Everyone knows how 
ridiculous the changing styles make out-of- 
date hats appear. The song is based on this 
fact, and the appearance of these "hats of 
other days'' will cause loads of merriment. . 
^ 'i CAN'T DO A THING WITH MY HAIR SINCE IT'S WASHED." 
Did you ever hear the above expression ? They 
all say it. This song is for a merry group of 
girls who have trouble in keeping their hair in 
bounds. A jolly song. 

REDUCED TO $1.99. The figures in a dry goods 
show window are indignant at having to par- 
ticipate in so many * 'reduction sales," and, 
revolting, walk off the stage after telling 
their troubles in song. The eccentric motions 
of these figures make a very laughable number. 

THE WINNING WAYS OF GRANDMA'S DAYS. Sung in 
costume, this portrays the many welcome and 
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rections for minuet included. Very enjoyable. 
Any one of the above sent postpaid on receipt of 25 cents. 

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RELEASED FOR AMATEUR PRODUCnON. 

"The Utile PoKHcian" 

By SEYMOUR S. TIBBALS 



A COMEDY IN FOUR ACTS 

SEVEN MALES AND THREE FEMALES 



•^ITHIS play was produced professionally 
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without royalty and without restrictions 
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are simple. Time, about two hours. A 
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iP^^The garden party in the second act affords 
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PRICE, 25 CENTS 

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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TWO PLAYS FOR BOYS 

By SEYMOUR S. TIBBALS. 



Mr. Tibbals has been untj^ually successful in fur- 
nishing boys' plays that introduce characters true to 
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*'The Millionaire Janitor 



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A comedy in two acts. Here is a rollicking play 
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Price 25 Cents 



**Up Caesar's Creek" 

A splendid play for any number of boys. The 
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Price 25 Cents 

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